Friday, June 3, 2011

Plume Motor Spirit

A one gallon (imperial) can used in NZ
The signs were usually made of enamel
Fishermen in Island Bay in 1923 with crates of Plume - see the book Nets Lines & Pots, volume one

Those who have our books know that Plume was a common brand of petrol in New Zealand.  French for feather, Plume was a brand name in New Zealand and Australia of the Vacuum Oil Company of the USA. In 1931, Socony and Vacuum Oil merged, and in 1955, the company became Socony Mobil Oil Company.  The brand became Mobilgas and in 1963 just Mobil.

Officially petrol was called motor spirit in NZ at least until the 1980s and those who sold it had to be licensed by the Motor Spirits Licencing Authority.

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